Canon
EOS R1 2024
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
£6399
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
EOS R1 vs Z9
Quick take: The Z9 has the highest resolution at 46MP; the Z9 is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
EOS R1 — Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism: Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
Z9 — Professional Sports & Wildlife: The Z9 redefined what professional mirrorless could be — no mechanical shutter, 45MP stacked BSI, and 8K RAW in the most rugged Z body.
Who should buy what
EOS R1 (2024)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
Z9 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional sports, wildlife and photojournalism photographers
- Nikon D6 or D850 users making the final switch to mirrorless
- Those who need the fastest, most reliable AF Nikon has ever made
- Professionals who need a flagship body with no mechanical shutter
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | EOS R1Canon · 2024 | Z9Nikon · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,399 | £4,999Best |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 45.7MPBest |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanicalBest | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | 740 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 920g (body only)Best | 1340g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
EOS R1
Z9
Portrait
8.3/10
8.2/10
Street
5.7/10
5.0/10
Travel
5.4/10
4.9/10
Wedding & Events
8.5/10
8.4/10
Vlogging & Video
5.4/10
—
Filmmaking
8.3/10
7.9/10
Documentary
8.0/10
7.6/10
Sports & Action
9.1/10
9.2/10
Landscape
6.3/10
6.7/10
Wildlife
8.9/10
8.9/10
Casual
4.6/10
4.0/10
Food
7.6/10
6.9/10
Macro
8.3/10
6.6/10
Architecture
6.6/10
6.8/10
Astrophotography
6.7/10
7.2/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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